The present invention relates to releasable latch mechanisms, particularly those releasable latch mechanisms employed on doors of airline overhead storage bins.
With increased concern for passenger safety on commercial airplanes, the airline industry is constantly looking for ways to decrease the potential for any type of accidental injury. With the number of travelers who now insist on carrying as much luggage as possible onto the plane, the utilization of overhead storage bins and other storage bins has become increasingly popular. As more items of increasing weight are placed into these bins, it is important that the doors of such bins be well secured.
The potential for injury as a result of an accidental opening of a storage bin door is great. Vibrations and jolts resulting from take-off and landing, as well as in flight turbulences are often violent enough to jar open storage bin doors fastened by conventional means, or to cause the bin contents to contact the latch mechanism in such a manner that causes the latch mechanism to release. Also, deformation of the storage bin floor due to the weight of the luggage placed into the storage bin may cause the bin door to become difficult to shut or to shut less than securely. Similarly, incorrect alignment or adjustment of the latch or surfaces to be fastened may hinder the closing and/or securing of the bin door.
In the special application of airline storage bin doors, it is necessary that the latch mechanism used by simple and easy to operate, as well as easy to maintain and adjust. The amount of effort required to open and close such latch mechanism must be kept at a minimum to allow passengers to easily open and close the storage bins themselves. Also, the latch must be easily releasable when desired by a passenger in order that easy access may be had to ones carry-on luggage. The latch should also be reliable and not susceptible to coming out of alignment. The reliability of the latch should be consistently good over a wide range of operating conditions. Finally, the latch should not be so bulky that it occupies a substantial portion of the useful interior of the storage bin.
In airline storage bin doors, many latch mechanisms that are used in other applications would most likely ensure the secure closing of the overhead bin doors. However, such latches are not easily releasable and accordingly would not be compatible with the airlines need to allow passengers to easily open and close the doors at almost any time during the flight.
Therefore, the need exists, particularly in the airline industry for a latch mechanism for the doors of overhead storage bins that is easily closable, securely fastens the door, is not susceptible to release due to vibrations or jolts, yet is easily openable by the passenger when he or she is prepared to load or unload his or her luggage. Such latch may be equally applicable to other applications where releasable, secure, reliable fastening is desired.